Our View

Our View

The great Arkansas-Oklahoma pot-smuggling adventure

Now here is a new twist to this ever-evolving effort on the part of Arkansas to get into the pot growing and distribution business. While this pot-patient certification nears and sales expected to begin as early as April anxious pot-heads are being encouraged to cross into neighboring Oklahoma, purchase their pot and simply bring it home in Arkansas.

Some people are warning those who dare to “smuggle” pot into Arkansas would be committing a federal offense, but the attorney who spearheaded Arkansas new pot business says, “Awe go ahead, the cops aren’t going to be sitting at the border sniffing out pot smugglers.”

Let’s set the record straight and clarify what exactly David Couch, the Little Rock attorney who drafted the 2016 constitutional amendment that legalized medical marijuana in Arkansas did say exactly.

Couch said the criminal risk is more theoretical than practical and went on to say, “ I would go for it.” “Are they going to patrol the border between Arkansas and Oklahoma? I don’t think so.”

But Melissa Fults, a patient advocate cautioned Arkansans from traveling across state lines with marijuana and said if they do they will be committing a federal crime.

Couch went on to say that a federal provision bars U.S. government authorities from expending resources to prosecute marijuana-related crimes in states where possessing and using the drug is legal.

Let’s set the facts straight and repeat what Scott Hardin, a spokesman for the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Commission, had to say about this. He said Arkansans who have qualified to smoke marijuana cannot legally bring medical cannabis from other states because the commission’s rules state that the product must be purchased at an Arkansas dispensary.

But, Couch contends the commission doesn’t have the authority to set a rule like that and the commission’s authority is strictly over licensing of cultivators and dispensaries.

Listen, based on the progress being made to growth and sell marijuana in Arkansas it is now only a matter of weeks before pot can be available for sale so all this is a moot issue.

Furthermore, let’s not be so naive to believe there hasn’t been a considerable amount of so-called “under the table” acquisitions going on. In other words, marijuana is and has been available for anyone, relatively easy to purchase and will continue to be well after Arkansas gets in on the pot business.

Let’s understand that marijuana is big business where lots of people make a fortune growing and selling it so let’s not believe for one minute that just because Arkansas has made marijuana use legal that marijuana peddlers will simply disappear. But, as Couch pointed out criminal risk is more theoretical than practical. These dope peddlers will still be roaming our streets undercutting the price the state is selling it for and there will be those individuals among us buying every bit they can at bargain prices.

This is purely a business transaction where large amounts of money is made and if we think illegal marijuana will disappear we’re just kidding ourselves.